The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-11-03

away, the song of the mocking bird grew
fainter in my ears, and I knew nothing
more until awoke in that awful night.
It was strange, Thought, that they
should have exiting gnished all the lights So.
But perhaps the taper that usually burned
-atmY bedside had gone out. This puz-
zled me, toer,for somebody always
watched in my chamber at. mghtSthe
nurse, q friend sometimes, or my devoted
wife, my dnfling whom no fatigue could
keep long from my side. Perhaps who
ever had watched tonight had fallen
!. asleep. i could not find it in;my .hearttto
blame them-human endurance has a
limit and exhausted nature must rest
some time Was It necessary, though, to
draw the curtains so close? Not single
CLEAN Of light, not the faintest glimmer,
-darhess blacker than the darkest mid
night I had ever seen. .
And silenceI I listened for the ticking
Of the clock in the next room, but lis
tened in yain. Some one had suggested
that the monoto otonous sound annoyed me,
and it had been removed. Yes, that ex.
planned it.
But 4 must have been asleep "a long
time. The sun was shining when ] lost
consciousness, and now it was night, per-
haps nearly morning. Why had they al
lowed me to sleep so long? Why had /
not been awakened as the doctor directed,
to take my medicine-the teaspoonful
every; hour, and tho powder, in half
wine glass of water, every three hours? I
could not answer this question, and it
worried me. Were they neglecting me, or
had the doctor changed his method Of
treatment? At any rate I was now awake,
and surely ought to have my medicine.
Besides, q terrible thirst parched my
tongue and my lips burned with fever.
But.was I awake2 Was it not possible
that I dreamed all these thoughts-that I
dreamed the intense darkness, the silence,
and
My God! What odor is that? Where
had breathed that damp, earthly atmos-
phere before? filled my lungs again and
again, and dumb terror began to OPP
press me-a vague apprehension which
could not account for. The odor was un-
natural -itw like the air Of caves and
mines. Certainly must be suffering from
nightmare induced by brain disordering
disease.
And my bed, how hard it was-could it
be possible that I had fallen upon the
floor? And yet my head rested upon o
pillow, and felt the ruff1ed edge Of the
bed curtains touching my forehead. As I
Lay there, flat upon my back, my hands
. clasped upon my breast, I smiled family
at the incongruity Of my surroundings,
and mentally commented upon the strange
stuff of Which dreams are made. Then
recollected reading somewhere that the
sense Of smell is absent in dreams, and
my apprehensions Of evil, which had par
TALLY subsided, returned with renewed
force. Isl
At this moment the thumb Of my left
hand touched button. It was cloth
button. My night robe was fastened with
no snch buttons, It was the button Of
coat at-somebody had probably thrown
such agarment over me to keep me warm
or to dispose Of it until they should re-
uuire it again. But that peculiar f9tid
odor-where did it come from?. My. thirst
WINS becoming intolerable.- must moisten
my lips-and they must take that hard
substance from under my knees. What
was it there for and who put it there3
But above all things, must have some
thing to drink. s.
tsJulia!' How sullen and muf1ed my
whisper sounded. =
sJulia!,' There was no echo to my
cultural cry.
ssJohn! Julia! Roberto There was no
reply. The nurse, my wife, my friend
none Of them near me-or all sleeping so
soundiy that my voice did not awaken
them. Half petulantly resolved that 1;
would try to serve myself. Iwould try
to reach one Of the glasses on the table at
my bedside-I would disturb nobody.
4 fIyy hrir
light.
Slowly, and with fear that might
Z overthrow some of the vials on the table,
raised my right hand. My elbow struck
against q hard unyielding suhstance-the
wall probably table must be at my
left. And yet, if my memory served me,
when fell asleep my feet were stretched
toward the north and the table was at my
right hand. Why had they changed my
position? I raised my left hand-my ell
bow came in contact with another wall
Thoroughly alarmed at this strange cir
cumstance, attempted to sit up-within
six inches my head came in violent contact
with what might have been o ceiling.
With half strangled shrek made an
effort to throw my body out Of its cramped
position drew my knees up and dug
my heels into the floor upon which lay
I turned upon my left side and hurled
myself against the walls that closed me
in. Horror! could not moye foot in
any direction! Howling like Gagged
beast pressed my hands against either
side Of my prison and swiftly passed them
from my knees to my shoulders. My
maddening suspicious were only too true.
That shape-narrow at the feet-widening
at ths elbows-narrowing again at the
head-merciful God! It was coffin! /
was buried alive!
For single instant lost consciousness.
During the interval of q single heart beat
nv faculties were benumbed as by blow
at the base Of the brain. The blood in
nv veins receded from the surface Of my
body, and was cold-fozen by the In
tensity of my terror. A clammy sweat
began to ooze from my pores, and the
blood that had collected about my heart
rushed, thousand tiny torrents, through
arteries and veins to my brain-I was
burning with the fever of fright and
disease.
was mad with despair. threw my
self to the right and to the left-howling,
shrieking, cursing, frothing at the mouth.
Upward I flung my clenched hauds, and
dull crash followed their contact with
the glass above my face. This circum-
stance diverted my thoughts into another
channel. If I was buried, I argued, my
coffjl was inclosed in o strong wooden
box, and over that was piled at least SIX
feet Of earth.
If was buried! On, there was still
hope, and smiled rs tried to picture
condition in which q living, breathing,
reasoning creature ceases to hope. L
thought Of the doomed wretch ascending
the scaffold, and hoping against hope for
the pardon that can never reach him. l
!. thought Of the soldier sentenced to death